Dodgers Opinion: Potential non-tender candidates

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The 2024/2025 Major League Baseball offseason is officially here, and one of the first subjects for the Dodgers is if there are any likely non-tender candidates.

The non-tender deadline this offseason is set for November 22nd, and the Los Angeles Dodgers could have a few players that could be biting the bullet by that date.

Connor Brogdon

The first candidate is right-handed pitcher Connor Brogdon, who the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired via trade in April after being DFA’d by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Brogdon had decent career numbers, posting a 3.97 ERA in 145.0 innings pitched, but took a steep decline in production for the 2024 season. In a few appearances for the Phillies and Dodgers this year, Brogdon had an outlandish 24.00 ERA, 24.50 FIP, 12.0 HR/9, and an 18.0 BB/9.

Brogdon made only one appearance for the Dodgers on April 4th in a game against the Minnesota Twins, where the righty allowed two home runs in one inning with no strikeouts in one inning of work on twenty-one pitches.

Shortly after that appearance, the Dodgers placed Brogdon on the 15-day injured list with right plantar fasciitis, which ended his regular season after he was transferred to the 60-day injured list in the coming weeks.

Brogdon did attempt two minor league rehab assignments, ending the minor league year with a 3.21 ERA in fourteen innings pitched, collecting twenty-one strikeouts and only allowing five walks.

What makes Brogdon a likely candidate to be non-tendered is that the 29-year-old righty has zero minor league options remaining despite being in his first year of arbitration with an estimated earning of $800,000.

With the 2024 Major League Baseball season over, all players on the 60-day injured list will be reinstated on the 40-man roster, and by Opening Day 2025, Brogdon would have to be on the active 26-man roster.

Brent Honeywell

Over the course of the regular season or offseason, a Major League Baseball front office will be tasked with tough decisions, and one name the Dodgers will have to decide on is right-handed relief pitcher Brent Honeywell.

Honeywell was acquired on July 13th after being DFA’d by the Pittsburgh Pirates despite having a sub-three ERA with the team.

Honeywell has been a journeyman since he made his Major League debut in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching innings for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, as mentioned.

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Honeywell had a great first season in Los Angeles, pitching to a 2.62 ERA in 34.1 innings. When a roster crunch was a necessity, Honeywell chose to stay with the Dodgers after being DFA’d by the club on August 20th and clearing waivers.

While the 2024 postseason stat line was rough, with a 9.35 ERA in 8.2 innings, he did his role as the bulk innings guy to preserve the high-leverage arms, which Max Muncy and others credited as the saviors of the team.

However, like Brogdon, Honeywell has zero minor league options despite being in his per-arbitration phase, and depending on what the Dodgers have planned for the bullpen in 2025, he may be the odd man out.

Zach Logue

The last logical option would be right-handed pitcher Zach Logue, who made a brief appearance with the team this season after being signed for pitching depth in late August.

Logue, 28, after being released by the Atlanta Braves, signed a 1-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and pitched two innings for the club. In those two appearances, Logue allowed six hits and four runs while striking out four batters in two total innings.

His major league tenure with the club was brief yet ineffective. With Logue on the 40-man roster, he could be an option to non-tender if they logically don’t see room on there for potential moves they make this winter.

Logue still has two minor league options remaining. He is in the pre-arbitration stage of his career and is only estimated to earn the league minimum of $800,000 for the 2025 season.

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Written by Cody Snavely

Cody Snavely has been the co-editor of DodgersBeat and full-time host of the Bleed Los Podcast since February 2023. He has also written for multiple websites, such as Dodgers Way, Dodgers Low-Down, and Dodgers Tailgate. A Wilmington University graduate, Snavely is an avid Dodgers fan who uses his advanced baseball knowledge to keep fans updated on the latest storylines, rumors, and opinions on Dodgers baseball.

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